RV Park’s Sewage Lagoon Raises Concerns

A second public hearing has been scheduled by the New Mexico Environment Department on a discharge permit application for a proposed sewage lagoon and RV park northeast of Aztec, the Farmington Daily Times reported.

The hearing, scheduled for April 23, is for the Payne property located roughly 7 miles northeast of Aztec.

At the first public hearing last July, the county’s council chambers were filled to overflowing with officials and residents wanting to hear details about the lagoon’s design and the environment department’s permitting process.

Many area residents who attended the meeting raised concerns over the 2,240 gallons of domestic wastewater the proposed park’s 60 RV spaces could produce per day. Also of concern were foul odors that could be produced by the lagoon, the vulnerability of the lagoon to wildlife damage, and the lagoon’s close proximity to the Aztec and Graves-Atterbury Ditches and nearby Animas River, which is the primary source of water for the city of Aztec. Some said the wastewater could pollute the river in the event of flooding.